All Blog Posts
Member blogs include thematic articles of 600-800 words on books or research by members, or human interest stories by members. To submit a thematic blog write to the relevant TG chair; for human interest blogs write to 1818society@wbgalumni.org, with “Blog Proposal” in the subject line.
| Title | Author | Publication Date | Content | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Summer ‘s Wintry Hiking Trip in Austria | Anis Dani | Oct 11, 2024 | The reunion of the German-Austrian-Swiss (DACH) chapter in Vienna in early September 2024 ended with a delightful hike climbing beautiful Kahlenberg to hike through vineyards and ultimately go to a... | Read More |
| Kofi and the UN Did it! Can Ajay and the WBG do it? | Richard Cambridge | Oct 11, 2024 | In late September, my spouse and I visited our Alma Mater Macalester College to participate in the Macalester Festival, including a session on the Kofi Annan Institute for Global Citizenship... | Read More |
| World Bank Budget Increases by 6% in Real Terms in FY25 For More Country Engagement and Supervision Support | Bill Katzenstein | Sep 27, 2024 | The World Bank (IBRD/IDA) administrative budget was approved at $3,498 million for FY25, a sizable rise from the $3,170 million authorization for FY24. Of the increase of $328 million, $190 million (the 6% ‘real’... | Read More |
| Bad Economic Ideas Never Die in America, They Thrive in Election Times | Istvan Dobozi | Sep 20, 2024 | The Nobel-winning economist Paul Krugman famously claimed once that bad economic ideas simply refuse to die. The ongoing 2024 presidential election campaign validates this point on both sides of the... | Read More |
| Nag and Kohli say Institutions are Important for Good Governance. How about the WBG? | Richard Cambridge | Sep 20, 2024 | I always reflect on my motivations for selecting a particular book to read especially when there are choices. In the case of the 2023 book “From Here to Denmark. The Importance... | Read More |
| Hike to Everest Base Camp | Jun Zhang | Aug 5, 2024 | In March 2024, I hiked with a friend to Everest Base Camp (EBC) in Nepal. The classical journey to EBC starts by flying from Kathmandu to Lukla, where you pick... | Read More |
| For the Blessings of Jupiter and Venus – A Debut Novel | Varun Gauri | Jul 26, 2024 | Even as a researcher in DEC, I’ve always been interested in stories. My early critique of the market-based Chilean social programs of the 1980s focused on dissonant narratives among various... | Read More |
| Driving Digital Transformation in Developing Nations: Case Studies | Nagy Hanna | Jul 11, 2024 | The digital revolution is creating unprecedented opportunities and challenges for economic development. How did countries respond? What roles did the governments, enterprises and civil societies play in energizing and governing... | Read More |
| A Trip to Remember | Katia Tabash | Jun 27, 2024 | Sitting at the finish line of a small 2,000-meter lake-turned-racecourse in Lucerne, Switzerland, my husband and I waited to watch our son Christian – hopefully – qualify for the Olympics... | Read More |
| Turkey’s Economic Odyssey Since 2000 | Tanju Yurukoglu | Jun 19, 2024 | In October 2023, I published a book entitled Turkey's Economic Odyssey Since 2000: From Ascent to Turmoil [1] reviewing economic policies and performance in Turkey since 2000. The book was... | Read More |
| Economic Development in the Digital Age | Nagy Hanna | Jun 11, 2024 | How did the World Bank respond to the digital revolution in terms of policies and investments in developing countries? Much has been published on the digital revolution as it is... | Read More |
| The American economy itself feels fine, but voters feel differently | Istvan Dobozi | May 27, 2024 | The strength of the economy is a time-honored predictor of presidential job approval and re-election chances. In the post-WWII period, only three presidents – Jimmy Carter, Herbert H.W. Bush and... | Read More |
| Chile under Neoliberalism | Andrés Solimano & Gabriela Zapata-Román | Apr 16, 2024 | In our book, Chilean Economic Development under Neoliberalism, we examine Chile's economic, social, and development policies over the past six decades. The focal point is the enduring influence of the neoliberal... | Read More |
| Discovering Birds with Better Technology | S, Ramachandran | Mar 17, 2024 | Birding was not on my post-retirement “to do” list. Stumbling into it just when technology made it easier was fortuitous because it will continue to engage my waning faculties as... | Read More |
| Ashoka the Visionary | Ashok Khanna | Mar 1, 2024 | In an era of great economic advances, fantastic improvements in education and global communications, humanity is still plagued by war, genocide, and corruption. Visionary and ethical governance has been stunningly... | Read More |
| Vinod Prakash, Service Before Self: A Journey of Conviction, Courage, and Commitment | Uma Lele | Feb 23, 2024 | It is a pleasure to write this blog about a book written by a colleague, Vinod Prakash, who retired from the World Bank in 1988 after more than two decades... | Read More |
| The Bank’s Ambitious Gender Strategy | Frank Vogl | Feb 1, 2024 | The World Bank is on the cusp of finalizing a 2024-2030 gender development strategy. It draws on the experiences of the last decade where, for example, the number of Bank... | Read More |
| If You Came This Way | James Brown | Feb 1, 2024 | My interview at the Bank in the winter of 1970-71 began with the YP Coordinator saying, “Canadian, huh. That won’t hurt you.” I was hired, so I guess he was... | Read More |
| Chile’s experience transitioning from an energy supply crisis to major investments in renewables | Miguel Schloss | Jan 18, 2024 | There are times when crises can provide a sober warning about unaddressed problems than all discourses and learned studies. The crisis detonated almost 15 years ago by the gas supply... | Read More |
| Tackling Climate Change: The Bank’s Poisoned Chalice? | S. Ramachandran | Jan 12, 2024 | After much wrangling at periodic gatherings in Rio, Copenhagen and Paris, governments have agreed to reduce emissions that cause global warming. Many emissions deplete the stratosphere’s protective ozone layer affecting... | Read More |